PROCESS FOR PREPARING HIGHLY METAL EXCHANGED ZEOLITE Y

Abstract: Polyvalent metal zeolite Y of extremely low alkali metal content is prepared by a process of potassium ion exchange followed by polyvalent metal ion exchange. Zeolite NaY is contacted with a potassium salt solution under conditions that provide a substantial substitution of potassium for sodium. The predominately potassium zeolite Y is contacted with a solution containing at least one polyvalent metal salt under conditions that provide exchange of the polyvalent metal for both sodium and potassium. The resulting polyvalent zeolite Y contains less than 0.5 % alkali metal calculated as Na2O.

Description: PROCESS FOR PREPARING HIGHLY METAL EXCHANGED ZEOLITE Y BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the ion exchange of zeolite Y and provides a process for preparing zeolites with high polyvalent metal content but extremely low alkali metal content. In particular, the process involves ion exchange of zeolite NaY to a potassium enriched form of the zeolite. A subsequent ion exchange with a solution containing one or more polyvalent metals provides the substituted zeolite Y with the extremely low alkali metal content. Zeolite Y (a crystalline aluminosilicate of a particular composition and structure) contains a signi¬ ficant amount of sodium. Many applications require the removal of said sodium with the substitution of polyvalent metal ions. Zeolite Y has a structure that renders the removal of virtually all the sodium from the zeolite very difficult. Sherry [J. Phys . Chem. 72., 12, 4086-4094 (1968) and J. Colloid & Interface Science 2 ., 2 , 288-292 (1968)] developed isotherms that showed that Ca +2 and La +3 exchange for sodium in zeolite NaY in excess of 70% substitution was not possible. Sherry and Schwartz (U.S. Patent 3,677,698) describe a low temperature-high temperature ion exchange process that provides metal exchanged zeolite that has a low level of its original metal, sodium. The low- temperature exchange is carried out at a temperature of 50 to 215°F while the high temperature exchange is carried out at 300 to 600°F. Polyvalent ions such as the rare earths can be used with zeolites of the faujasite type structure. The resulting original metal contents are between 0.5 and 1% Na 2 0. It is an object of this invention to provide an ion exchange process that provides a polyvalent metal substi¬ tuted zeolite Y that contains less than 0.5% Na 2 0 and does not require high temperatures or long contact times. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION I have found that zeolite Y with high polyvalent ion content and very low alkali metal content can be prepared by a process that includes an initial potassium ion exchange followed by an exchange with a solution containing polyvalent metal ion. The starting zeolite NaY which contains sodium (usually 11% or more as Na 2 0) is contacted with a potassium salt solution under conditions that provide that a substantial proportion of the zeolite sodium is replaced by potassium. Surprisingly, the zeolite Y can now be contacted with a salt solution of a polyvalent metal with nearly complete removal of the alkali metal. The ion exchange conditions to achieve this high displacement of alkali metal from the zeolite are quite mild. In effect, the number of contacts, the concentration of the polyvalent metal salt solution, and the temperature of contact are significantly less than required to prepare substituted zeolite Y by methods that do not use a prelim¬ inary potassium exchange such as the method described by Sherry, et al. in U.S. Patent 3,677,698. The high poly¬ valent metal ion substituted zeolite Y resulting from my process is surprising in view of the Sherry references, as will be demonstrated in the examples. THE INVENTION The zeolite treated by the process of my invention is a faujasite-type material designated as zeolite Y. such materials are prepared by the hydrothermal treatment of sources of Si0 2 , A1 2 0 3 and Na 2 0 as described in numerous U.S. Patents including 3,130,007. The zeolites produced by the processes disclosed in this patent are represented by the following formula: 0.9 ±0.2 Na 2 0:Al 2 0 3 :X Si0 2 :Y H 2 0 wherein X can be about 3 to 6 and Y can be 0 to 9 and have the faujasite structure. Zeolite Y with a Si0 2 /Al 2 0 3 ratio of 6 contains about 11% Na 2 0. Zeolites with lower Si0 2 /Al 2 0 3 ratios contain more sodium. These materials are articles of commerce and are available as powders and agglomerates. The zeolite is contacted with a potassium salt solution using conditions that produce zeolites wherein at least 90% of the sodium for zeolite Y is replaced with potassium. The contacting solution can contain one or more potassium salts of strong acids. These can include among others KCl, K 2 S0 4 , KN0 3 . The concentration can be 1 to 10 normal. The contact time can be 0.5 to 5 hours. The temperature is below boiling, but is usually above room temperature. The number of contacts can be varied, but not more than 5 are needed. Usually 1, 2 or 3 contacts are all that are required. After contact or between contacts the zeolite is filtered and washed. The zeolite NaY need not be completely converted to the potassium form as only about 90% of the sodium must be removed to allow for an easier exchange to the polyvalent form. The level of potassium exchange can be higher. To obtain the potassium content required, the starting zeolite should be contacted with up to 10 moles of potassium ion for each mole of sodium to be exchanged. The predominately potassium substituted zeolite Y is now contacted with a solution containing one or more polyvalent metal salts. Nearly any polyvalent metal can be ion exchanged into the zeolite. These include the poly¬ valent metals or metalloids of group lb, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5b, 6b and 7b of the periodic table. Calcium and the rare earths, among others, are often used. The polyvalent metal salts are usually those of strong acids such as chlorides, sulfates and nitrates. The concentra¬ tion of the solution can be 0.1 to 10 normal and is usually considerably less than 10 normal. The contact time can vary considerably, but is usually 0.5 to 24 hours. The temperature of the exchange is less than 100°C. Several contacts can be used, but I prefer 2 or 3 counter-current contacts for efficient use of the incoming ion. By my invention, polyvalent substituted zeolite Y can be prepared with much higher levels of exchange than previously reported. H. Sherry showed in J " . Phys . Chem. 12., 12, 4086- 4094 (1968) that Ca ++ exchange to levels greater than 70% was not possible for zeolite NaY. I have found that -100% CaY can be prepared by my method. H. Sherry showed in J. Colloid and Interface Science £8., 2, 288-292 (1968) that La +3 exchange in zeolite Y of greater than 70% was very difficult unless long contact times were used. I have been able to prepare 90% exchanged LaY by the method of my invention. EXAMPLES The following examples illustrate certain embodi- ments of my invention. These examples are not provided to establish the scope of the invention, which is described in the disclosure and recited in the claims. The proportions are in parts by weight (pbw) , percent by weight, moles, equivalents or milliequivalents ( eq) . In the tables summarizing the results, Na 2 0/Al 2 0 3 represents the equivalents of Na for each equivalent of Al in the zeolite, K 2 0/A1 2 0 3 represents the equivalents of K for each equivalent of Al, CaO/Al 2 0 3 represents the equivalents of Ca for each equivalent of Al, and 1/3 La 2 0 3 /Al 2 0 3 represents the equivalents of La for each equivalent of Al. These representations are in accordance with accepted practice in the zeolite art. The processes described in the examples were carried out with a starting zeolite NaY with 5.5 moles of Si0 2 for each mole of A1 2 0 3 . This material (a commercial product) is designated NaY or NaY zeolite. Intermediate products of the potassium ion exchange are designated KY or KY zeolite even though they still contain some sodium. The product of the final exchange is designated CaY or CaY zeolite, LaY or LaY zeolite. Some representations have number subscripts such as Ca^ NaY. These representations mean that 60% of the sodium is replaced with Ca. Example l NaY zeolite was contacted with various quantities of IN Ca(N0 3 ) 2 solution for six hours at 150°C. The ion- exchange contact ratios and residual Ca and Na levels are shown in Table 1. TABLE 1 Contact Ratio (meqCa +2 /gNaY) 5.6 9.9 19.8 26.2 59.3 CaO/Al 2 0 3 0.56 0.59 0.66 0.72 0.76 Na 2 0/Al 2 0 3 0.35 0.33 0.25 0.21 0.17 Example 2 CarøNaY zeolite was prepared by contacting NaY zeolite with 10.5 meq Ca ++ /gm zeolite at 82°C for 2 hrs. The CaNaY zeolite had a Ca0/Al 2 0 3 of 0.60. Example 3 CagoNaY zeolite from Example 2 was contacted with various quantities of IN Ca(N0 3 ) 2 solution at 150°C for 6 hours. The contact ratios and residual Ca and Na levels are shown in Table 2. - TABLE 2 Contact Ratio (meqCa +2 /gCaNaY) 0 6.5 12.9 25.8 34.4 77.4 Ca0/Al 2 0 3 0.60 0.67 0.73 0.77 0.79 0.85 Na 2 0/Al 2 0 3 0.32 0.23 0.19 0.14 0.12 0.09 These results show that high temperature contacts (150°C) allow for higher levels of Ca exchange than low temperature contacts. These results should be compared with the isotherms in the Sherry J. Phys . Chem . article. However, even with multiple contacts, the highest CaO/Al 2 0 3 level attained was 0.85. Example 4 KY zeolite was prepared by contacting NaY zeolite (Si0 2 /Al 2 0 = 5.5) with a solution containing 5 pbw of KC1 per pbw of NaY zeolite. The contact was at 150°F and lasted 2 hours. The concentration was 2N KC1. After the K + exchange, the zeolite was washed with 5 pbw of hot deionized water (Dl) . This procedure was repeated 2 more times. The properties after the third contact are shown in Table 3. Example 5 KY zeolite prepared as described in Example 4 was contacted with various quantities of IN Ca(N0 3 ) 2 solution for 24 hours at 180°F. The ion exchange contact ratios and residual Na, K and Ca levels are shown in Table 4. TABLE 4 Contact Ratio (meqCa +2 /gKY) 13.1 26.2 78.6 257 514 Ca0/Al 2 0 3 0.75 0.79 0.89 0.93 0.99 Na 2 0/Al 2 0 3 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 K 2 0/A1 2 0 3 0.23 0.20 0.10 0.06 0.01 These results, when compared with the results in Table 1 and 2, show how the process of my invention allows for the almost complete exchange of Ca ++ for the alkali cations in zeolite Y without the need for high temperature contacts. Example 6 KY zeolite prepared as described in Example 4 was contacted with 0.4N LaCl 3 solution for 24 hours at 180°F. The contact conditions and residual K and La levels are shown in Table 5. These results show that the degree of La +3 exchange is higher when following my process than when carrying out La +3 exchange on NaY. These results should be compared with the isotherms in the Sherry J. Colloid and Interface Science article.

Claims: CLAIMS We claim: 1. A process for preparing polyvalent metal zeo¬ lite Y of extremely low alkali metal content, comprising the steps of: a. contacting zeolite Y that contains sodium with a solu¬ tion of a potassium salt under ion exchange conditions that provide exchange of the potassium for sodium and provide a potassium zeolite Y with a residual sodium content of about 0.1 equivalent of Na 2 0 or less for each equivalent of A1 2 0 3 ; b. filtering and washing the resulting potassium zeolite Y; c. contacting said potassium zeolite Y with a solution containing salts of one or more polyvalent metals under ion exchange conditions that the polyvalent metal ions replace potassium and sodium in the zeolite to produce a polyvalent metal zeolite Y that contains less than about 0.2 equivalents of Na 2 0 + K 2 0 per equivalent of A1 2 0 3 ; and d. filtering and washing the resultant product zeolite Y. 2. The process of claim 1 wherein the polyvalent metal ion is from group lb, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5b, 6b and 7b of the periodic table. 3. The process of claim 1 wherein the polyvalent metal ion is calcium or lanthanum. 4. The process of claim 1 wherein the polyvalent metal ion is a rare earth.

Inventors: COOPER DAVID A, COOPER, DAVID, A.
Applicants: PQ CORP, PQ CORPORATION
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B01J29
IPC codes: B01J29